Champions of Ascerth 2
Champions of Ascerth 2 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Ghostrealm Studios for the GhostDrive console as a sequel to the original Champions of Ascerth game released a year prior. Unlike the original game, Ascerth 2 features an all-new setting and has little to do with the original game besides sharing a few characters and taking place within the Ghostverse. Story Background Champions of Ascerth 2 takes place on the continent of Buzokai on the planet Ascerth, far away from the events of past projects on the planet. When magical spirits first inhabited Ascerth, some found Buzokai, and made it their "testing grounds", so to speak as they used their magical abilities to experiment with the continent, shaping landscapes and in some cases influencing the evolution of some species. Unlike the rest of the planet's magical spirits, these ones were more active and even took on physical forms reminiscent of some animals. Over time, the locals of the continent began to worship these magical spirits, calling them Kamaki. The Kamaki took up residence within the different provinces of Buzokai, often sticking to themselves. They were venerated as gods by the residents of Buzokai, and many paid tribute to them. Fast forward thousands of years, and an amnesiac Kaiden has arrived on the continent. What trials will he endure here? Main Story For the main story, please click here! Characters Playable Non-Playable Gameplay Champions of Ascerth 2 is a real-time RPG in which the player controls a party of characters as they travel through the continent of Buzokai, fighting enemies and progressing through the storyline. Enemies are fought with a targeting system, where characters will constantly attack an enemy with auto-attacks as they target them. However, to speed things up, you might want to use each character's abilities to take out enemies. Each character has four abilities, and are designed to fulfill a certain role within the party. However, abilities have a cooldown period, so you can't just spam them endlessly. While Kaiden is the main character of the game's story, the other characters can be controlled within the game if you wish, allowing for players to pick what playstyle suits them the most. The game takes on an open world design, with players free to explore as they wish, though the main storyline is always present. Countless secrets await the player, as well as sidequests and chances to see the world. All sorts of items can be obtained, including equipment to enhance a character's stats and even weaponry to change their fighting style. A vast customization system exists that allows for characters to be set up as you wish. Battles happen seamlessly, with enemies wandering the world. They can be drawn into fights, and other enemies might stumble upon your battle! Winning battles earns experience points (EXP), which can allow for levelups and increased stats. Remaining at a reasonable level is key to taking on the game's challenges. Unlike other RPGs, new abilities aren't gained via leveling up. Controls Stats Each character has a variety of stats to utilize, which increase with each levelup. Regions of Buzokai Buzokai is a vast land, full of different regions and territories. Each have their own civilizations and foes to face, and some areas are even optional to visit! Sidequests Throughout Buzokai, there's all sorts of sidequests to go after. While there's the usual fetch quests and monster slaying tasks to complete, there's also some more meaty ones to go after. The Ring of Trials The Ring of Trials, located in the city of Bukan, is a gladiator ring that holds some of the toughest opponents in the game. Opponents are divided into Gauntlets, with each Gauntlet consisting of three teams of enemies and one boss. While initially there's only one Gauntlet available to challenge, others can be unlocked by defeating prior Gauntlets. These fights reward experience points and money, and in some cases rare equipment. However, do not underestimate the strength of the opponents within the Ring of Trials. They're much stronger than monsters found out in the world, and will deploy tactics that other enemies will rarely use. This makes them both a statistical and a logical threat, so it'll take more than grinding to outsmart these enemies! Researchers' Guild The local Researchers' Guild has been studying Buzokian history for years, delving into ruins and uncovering artifacts. Kaiden and co. can easily help out with their research by bringing them relics from ruins scattered around the planet. Each relic has important lore tied to it, and you'll also be rewarded with money. Cooking Throughout your travels, you'll come across all kinds of food. While it can be eaten raw, cooking is key to not only enhancing the effects of food, but also unlocking new effects gained by consuming it. Each character has a Cooking stat that determines the potency of the food they cook, making it wise to choose who you cook with. Bestiary Buzokai's inhabitants are unique, with all sorts of species. Monsters, friendly beings, cruel individuals, they're all here. Development Champions of Ascerth 2 started development shortly after Ghostverse Stories was wrapped up. The game's initial concepts came about after the lead developer played Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and sought to make a real-time RPG in a similar vein to it. While the first game was also a real-time RPG, it happened to be a bit too ambitious for his liking. Thus, Ascerth 2 was designed to be a reimagining of the first game's gameplay. The game at its core was primarily inspired by both Xenoblade 2 and another favorite title of Krexxal: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This would also be reflected in the game's artstyle and open-world elements, which were anime-esque but retained the cel shading techniques seen in Zelda. Because the game was on the GhostDrive and not the Nintendo Switch like its predecessor, the developers had more freedom when it came to making the game as great as possible. One key decision made was the idea of each party member only having four abilities. This was done to keep things simple and teach players to utilize their core skillset. Trivia *Despite Ascerth 2 being a JRPG first and foremost, it has elements of adventure games reminiscent of the Zelda series. *Most of the species seen in the Bestiary section were designed within the game Spore. Category:Role-Playing Games Category:GhostDrive Games Category:Ghostrealm Games Category:Action Role-Playing Games